Graham James’ two-year sentence for sexual assault drew outrage from his victims and the public on Tuesday, even as legal experts suggested the seemingly light sentence is the norm in Canadian courts.

It’s not unusual for convicted sex offenders to receive sentences that seem far too lenient considering the pain and suffering endured by their victims, said University of British Columbia law professor Janine Benedet.

“I think [the public] has a misperception about what the standard sentence is for sexual assault — it’s actually quite low, compared to some other serious criminal offences in Canada,” she said.

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Bank robbers are typically put away for longer, she said. So are those convicted of trafficking narcotics.

“In a sexual assault case, it’s not uncommon to see sentences of quite a lot less than two years,” she said.

“If this case serves as a catalyst to opening debate about sentencing for sexual assault, I think that would be a good thing.”

The 59-year-old James, who first gained notoriety when he pleaded guilty in 1997 to sexually abusing ex-NHL player Sheldon Kennedy, was sentenced to two years in jail for two counts of sexual assault after pleading guilty in December to sexually assaulting Theo Fleury and Mr. Fleury’s younger cousin, Todd Holt, while he coached them in junior hockey during the 1980s and early 1990s. Charges against James involving Greg Gilhooly, a third player, were stayed.

The Crown had been seeking a six-year prison sentence, and the defence wanted a conditional sentence with no jail time. James will serve the two-year sentences concurrently in federal prison.

Outside court, Mr. Kennedy and Mr. Gilhooly cast doubts on the rehabilitation efforts of James, saying he only received a total of 32 hours of rehabilitation — “a joke,” Mr. Kennedy said.

“The sentencings don’t come close to the damage it leaves in its wake and that’s been very clear to me here today,” Mr. Kennedy said, adding that “at least he’s going to jail.”

“To sit in there and hear that Graham James is rehabilitated really drives me nuts. I think that was the most disturbing part of it all.”

Added Mr. Holt at a news conference: “This sentence today is nothing short of a national travesty because we know that childhood abuse has reached epidemic proportions in our country.”

James’ lawyer said the decision was “fair.”

Past cases across the country show a similar pattern of sentencing — particularly in similar cases where there is historical sex abuse involving minors.

In January, a Saskatchewan man was sentenced to 18 months in prison for raping his step-daughter when she was a 13-year-old in 1982. The man had pleaded guilty.

Also in January, a Newfoundland man was given a three-year sentence for raping and sexually assaulting his 11-year-old niece in 1983 and 1988. The sentence was “on the low end” the judge said, because the man pleaded guilty, the victim didn’t have to testify at the preliminary hearing and the offender had good conduct since the assaults “which points to rehabilitation.”

Ms. Benedet likens the James sentencing to that of Maple Leaf Gardens equipment manager Gordon Stuckless, who was put away in 1988 for two years less a day after pleading guilty to 24 counts of indecent and sexual assault. One of his victims, Martin Kruze, killed himself four days after the sentencing.

The Ontario Court of Appeal strengthened Stuckless’ sentence to five years in 1998, Ms. Benedet said, “and people said even that was too low.”

These sentencings can appear callously light when one considers the damaging consequences victims endure, she said. But a judge must also consider the risk to public safety, level of remorse shown, rehabilitation and time already served when deciding on a sentence, she added.

“Sentencing is not supposed to be about vengeance, anger or revenge,” she said. “On the other hand, it is about public safety and about separating individuals who have shown a repeated pattern of behaviour that is extremely dangerous to vulnerable victims.”

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